We’re hearing from the lodges up the trail that plenty of fish are being caught. Just persevere and have a sensitive feel on the rod. Our intrepid factual fish finder is Jon Muhich of Buck’s Hardware in Grand Marais.

WALLEYES – Up at Sag the reports indicate that nightcrawlers are the current bait to use. They’re trolling along the shoreline in about 8 feet of water. Once you find fish, you can use a slip bobber with a leech or a nightcrawler. Try a plain hook, no jig. That seems to be getting a good response. Seagull lake is also reporting good action in eight feet of water around the weed beds. Slip bobber with a leech on a plain hook should stir up some action. Hungry Jack is finding the walleyes in 10 to 12 feet of water with a leech and a slip bobber. If you don’t want to go that far up the trail, Crescent Lake is a nice lake to try. Troll with rapalas in about eight to ten feet of water around rock piles. Don’t forget about the crawlers here either. Devilfish Lake will provide you with a ton of action, lots of little ones mixed in with nice eaters. Nightcrawlers off the rockpiles in ten feet of water.

SMALLMOUTH BASS – smallies are doing pretty well so if you’re looking for action during the slower walleye days you so gear up for the bass. Get them around the weed beds in 12 to 15 feet of water using minnows or a crawler on a jig. Try some smaller shad raps too. A cast and retrieve seems to be successful lately. Troll along a shoreline slowly while casting to shore. You cover a lot of area that way and you can hook into some decent fish. Lakes to try would include: Sag of course, Poplar , Hungry Jack, Devil Track, Northern Light,and Two Island.

RAINBOWS – They’re still hitting on crawlers and if fly fishing is to your liking these lakes will provide you with plenty of action: Leo, Kimball, Trout, Mink, and Esther. Fifteen to eighteen feet is the depth you want to fish those crawlers … coming in shallower as the evening approaches.

LAKE TROUT – There’s still good laker action in area lakes but as the season wears on fewer people are going after them. Might be the right species to go after if the walleyes are giving you trouble. Sag is hitting in forty feet of water using spoons or a jig and ciscos. Daniels is reporting good action at the same depth. Greenwood is doing well in thirty feet of water or so.

And a final word about Lake Superior. The salmon and lake trout are only eighty feet down or so right outside the harbor. In fact one can catch a few casting from shore with a spoon. Experiment with colors but orange is always good.